Bismarck Tribune

By CINDY PETERSBy CINDY PETERSON

CHADRON, Neb. - It's Garrett Treffer's first year under center for the Chadron State football team.

That's a lot of pressure on a guy, considering the Eagles entered the season with a No. 10 ranking in the NCAA Division II preseason poll.

Treffer and the Eagles passed the season-opening test with flying colors in a 30-14 victory over the University of Mary in nonconference action Saturday at Don Beebe Stadium.

Treffer completed 21 of 31 passes for 206 yards. He threw two touchdown strikes to receiver Brandon Harrison and one to Isaac Stockton.

"It took a little while to get settled in," said Harrison, a 6-foot-1, 175-pounder from Scottsbluff, Neb. "Our defense put us in good situations."

Harrington caught eight balls for 98 yards.

U-Mary quarterback Henry Lau struggled to complete passes. The 6-foot-5, 238-pounder from Menomonee Falls, Wis., completed eight of 31 passes for 90 yards. Lau led the Marauders in rushing with 34 yards on seven carries.

U-Mary totaled 61 rushing yards and 151 total yards.

"It was a combination of everything," U-Mary coach Myron Schulz said of Lau's difficulty to complete passes. "Chadron is a good defensive team, and they pressured well and they covered well. We have to protect better and hit our spots."

Chadron State put up 23 points in the second half, including 20 unanswered. U-Mary opened up the second half with a 5-yard penalty on the kickoff. The Eagles took the second kickoff and returned it to the U-Mary 24. An illegal hit below the waist brought Chadron State to the 12. Treffer hit Stockton for a 6-yard touchdown strike to start the rally.

On Chadron State's next possession, Harrington went up for a grab, squirted past his defender and scampered 60 yards for his second score of the day.

"At halftime we went over a few things," Treffer said. "We knew we could wear them down and push. Harrington is our biggest outside threat. He can jump well, and he can run well."

Chadron State kicker Travis Atter connected with field goals of 48, 23 and 30 yards in the second half.

"When good teams play, two or three plays can make a difference," Schulz said. "Chadron got their plays quick and easy. It's nice to know we were within a couple big plays of getting them. But we have to make those big plays."

Miscues led to both of the first-half touchdowns. U-Mary's Marice Burrough fumbled while fielding a punt at the Marauders' 4 with Chadron State recovering late in the first quarter.

The Marauders stuffed the run twice before Treffer connected with Harrington on a 5-yard pass on the left side of the end zone.

Atter added the point-after to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead at the 1:45 mark.

U-Mary defensive back Philip Thomas came up with a takeaway when he picked off Treffer on the Chadron State 24 at 8:27 of the second quarter.

Lau had back-to-back 4-yard runs. On third-and-2, Lau ran a bootleg and found tight end Micah Costello wide open on the right side for a 16-yard touchdown strike.

Rett Thibodeaux added the extra point to tie the score at 7-7 with 7:09 to play in the first half.

Linebacker Josh Winfield added U-Mary's second touchdown at 5:26 of the fourth quarter when he picked off a Treffer pass and took it 59 yards to paydirt.

U-Mary 0 7 0 7 - 14

CSC 7 0 14 9 - 30

First quarter

CSC: Brandon Harrington 3 pass from Garrett Treffer (Travis Atter kick), 1:45. (3 plays, 4 yards, 1:18). CSC 7-0.

Second quarter

U-Mary: Micah Costello 16 pass from Lau (Rett Thibodeaux kick), 7:09. (3 plays, 24 yards, 1:15). Score tied 7-7.

Third quarter

CSC: Isaac Stockton 6 pass from Treffer (Atter kick), 13:23. (3 plays, 24 yards, 1:28). CSC 14-7.

CSC: Harrington 60 pass from Treffer (Atter kick), 6:43. (7 plays, 75 yards, 3:53). CSC 21-7.

Fourth quarter

CSC: Atter 48 FG, 10:46. (6 plays, 14 yards, 3:02). CSC 24-7.

CSC: Atter 23 FG, 8:50 (5 plays, 17 yards, 1:44). CSC 27-7.

U-Mary: Josh Winfield 59 interception (Thibodeaux kick), 5:26. CSC 27-14.

CSC: Atter 30 FG, 0:56 (9 plays 31 yards, 4:28). CSC 30-14.

Team Statistics

U-Mary CSC

First downs 6 18

Rushes-yards 19-61 47-138

Comp.-Att.-Int. 8-31-1 21-31-2

Passing yards 90 206

Total yards 151 344

Penalties-yards 5-38 7-69

Fumbles-lost 1-1 0-0

Punts-average 9-40.6 4-40.8

Individual Statistics

Rushing: U-Mary - Henry Lau 7-34, Jamal Lomax 9-27, Rob Gibson 3-0. CSC - Maurice Threatts 16-66, John Ritzen 12-31, Aaron Cooksley 12-24, Garrett Treffer 4-10.

Individual Statistics

Passing: U-Mary - Lau 8-31-1, 90 yards. CSC - Treffer 21-31-2, 206 yards.

Receiving: U-Mary - Curtis Darrah 3-56, Alex Gilbertson 2-10, Micah Costello 1-16, Lomax 1-5. CSC - Brandon Harrington 8-98, Isaac Stockton 5-31, Joel Schommer 3-33, Threatts 2-18.

Interceptions: U-Mary - Josh Winfield, Philip Thomas. CSC - Phil Rivera.

Records: U-Mary 0-1 overall. CSC 1-0 overall.